When?

[Smoke]

I have been taking my 8m pups out with other pack of dogs they have been out just 3 times. but they still set underneath my feet. what should I do. Is it to early to for them to run with just three times.

[James Carman]

Yes, it is probably too soon. 3 exposures is not very much. The pups probably have no idea what the older dogs were barking about. Try taking just the pups to a place where there is a good population of rabbits. take this months copy of TAB and read it. Let the pups just mess around. They will be more likely to smell a rabbit that way than they are sitting at your feet while the old dogs run. If you see a rabbit walk the pups to where the rabbit was and let them explore that area. Or, look for a starting pen.

[Bill G.]

Smoke your pups may have to go out 23 times before they start but maybe not. Best thing to do is put them in a starting pen that has enough rabbit so they will be sure to come in contact with them and start opening on the rabbit. They need to stay in the pen at least long enough to start opening on the rabbit track and not just from sight. Depending on how far they progress in the pen it may still take several trips in the field before they run with other dogs, it just takes time, so do not give up to soon. Good Luck.

[BEAGLEHANDLER]

I TOOK MY SYRIS PUP OUT TODAY AND SHE IS ONLY 4 MONTHS. I WALKED AROUND IN A FIELD THAT ALWAYS HAS RABBITS SITTING IN IT. WHEN I SAW A RABBIT GET UP IN FRONT OF US I STARTED LOOKING FOR WHERE IT HAD BEEN SITTING. WHEN I FOUND IT I TOOK HER OVER TO IT AND LET HER SMELL IT. SHE LOOKED LIKE SHE WAS STANDING ON HER HEAD, AND GOT A NOSE FULL OF SCENT. SHE STARTED LOOKING AROUND LIKE SHE WAS TRYING TO FIND WHAT MADE THAT SMELL. SHE WANDERED OFF ABOUT TWENTY YARDS IN THE DIRECTION THE RABBIT WENT AND THEN RETURNED TO ME. IN ABOUT ANOTHER TWO MONTHS I WILL LET HER CHASE ONE OF OUR CAGED RABBITS AROUND THE BACKYARD. IF SHE CAN START RUNNING BY THE END OF MARCH AND RUN FOR A MONTH I WILL BE HAPPY. I WON'T PUSH HER UNTIL NEXT FALL TO REALLY GET STARTED AND LEARN THE INS AND OUTS OF IT.

[Ranger]

Don't get discouraged with them. That is pretty normal behavior for pups that have not been out before. Sometimes it takes several trips before they start going with the older dogs. I kept two pups out of my last litter, a male and a female, and started taking them out, one at a time, when they were about seven months. The male went with the older dogs, on their races, the very first time out and never missed a race from then on until I traded him off. The female is nine months now and has not actually started going with the older dogs yet. She will go to them for awhile and then come back to me and hunt very busily around me. She chased and caught a wounded rabbit on the last trip out and that really got her fired up. I have another 9 month old female pup that just started running with the older dogs. My pups usually start earlier than 9 months but, I did not get to hunt these for almost the whole month of December and that delayed their starting. It seems that some bloodlines just start earlier than others when given an equal chance. Beagle pups are a lot like people, in that respect, some just start earlier than others. I would suggest that you take the pups out one at a time with the older dogs. Sometimes when you take more than one they just want to play and horse around. If they are there alone their curiosity will get the best of them and they will just have to go to the older dogs and see what is going on.

[thornie]

I have 2, 10 mo. pups here that are running with old dogs and starting tracks ahead of them. The female is far more advanced then the male, but
my friends keep me in line and say give him a little more time. I have been taking him with 1 or 2 dogs a little slower and he is taking the track away from them. You know the old saying, patience is a virtue. So give them time and starting pens sure help.

[Smoke]

Thanx for all help. I guess it is to early. I have taking them to a starting pen and they ran and jumped reall god but the rabbits were all slow tame rabbits so they started looking instead of smelling. I was going to take them again to put them in with the wild rabbits this weekend but me female has come in heat. so I will probably just take my male.

Thanx again.

[kjohns]

They will eventually go. I took mine out one at a time. W/ both at once they pay attention to each other. I let them loose with other dogs or by themselves. When they are by me, I completely ignore them and try to stand as still as possible so there attention doesn't come to me. They'll eventually go with the other dogs or start sniffing around themselves. They can't help but to follow there nose eventually.